The Real Mary King’s Close

There are lots of historical sites to visit in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. The scariest site is probably Mary King’s Close buried deep beneath Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. It is the city’s deepest secret; a warren of hidden streets that has remained frozen in time since the 17^th century. There is nowhere in the world quite like Mary King’s Close.

Edinburgh's 18^th century City Chambers were built over the sealed-off remains of Mary King's Close, and the lower levels of this medieval Old Town alley haven’t changed for 250 years. For many years, people believed that Mary King’s Close was closed during a terrible plague and that people were left to die there. Now open to the public, this spooky, underground labyrinth gives a fascinating insight into the everyday life of 17^th century Edinburgh. Costumed characters lead tours through a 16^th century townhouse and the plague-stricken home of a 17^th century gravedigger.

There are many things of interest to see and there is something about the crumbling rooms that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. There are tufts of horsehair poking from the old plaster walls, and the ancient smell of stone and dust.

In one of the former bedrooms, a psychic once claimed to have been approached by a ghost of a little girl called Annie. It's hard to tell what's more frightening – the story of the ghostly child, or the bizarre heap of tiny dolls and teddies left in a corner by sympathetic visitors.